Cars and cinema. Two different worlds, which both saw the light in Turin during the early 20th century. Two worlds celebrated by Fiat and Museo Nazionale del Cinema in a new film edited by film director Corrado Farina. The film is being shown in the "Aula del Tempio", in the Museo Nazionale del Cinema at the Mole Antonelliana until the 14th March to coincide with Torino 2006 Winter Olympics which being this weekend.

The specially created film starts off with material taken from Fiat's historic archive, the Paris-Salonica rally followed by a car race, the feats of Maciste, Laurel and Hardy antics, winter sports involving Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman at the ski resort Sestriere; a Fiat 1100 that features Cary Grant, Verushka, Tarzan, Toto' and Indiana Jones during a trans-African race. The footage also includes a scene of the "Kid Auto Races in Venice" (1914), where a boy wearing a Fiat T-shirt suddenly appears directly behind Charlie Chaplin. The museum is also offering a rare and fascinating photographic review of Fiat's historical archives, featuring VIPs such as Brigitte Bardot, Toto', Macario, Lucia Bose' and Gianni Morandi, all at the wheel of Fiat cars. Syngeries with next week's Winter Games are thrust into the spotlight as one clip shows a Fiat bus traversing the roads at Cortina d'Ampezzo, when Fiat was also a sponsor of the then 7th Winter Olympic Games, back in 1956.

Museo Nazionale del Cinema

Considered one of the world's most important museums both for the richness of its collections and its exciting exhibitions, the Museo Nazionale del Cinema is located in the Mole Antonelliana, a building which especially symbolises Turin. With 3,200m2 available on five floors, following the shape and philosophy of the Antonelli's work, the museum illustrates the history of cinema.
 

It starts off displaying the 'shadow games' and the first fascinating magic lanterns from the 1600's, which mark the beginning of the 7th arts - cinematography, working through to the most spectacular special effects seen today. In a futuristic multi-media café which seats up to 40, visitors can enjoy leafing through an interactive film menu from the comfort of their table using a computer track ball, with the added option of screening several sequences of film. 'The Alcoves' elevated mini-rooms and 'The Volies' intimate canopy covered tables-are comfortable places to have a drink or read.

Founded in 1942 by Maria Adriana Prolo, the Film library of the Museo Nazionale del Cinema counts more than seven thousand films in its archives that belong to different periods of cinema, representing the history of cinema from its very origins to the present day. The Museum features one of the most valuable collections of silent features, mainly from Itala Film and Ambrosio productions, as well as an important collection of sound features. The collection of a significant number of documents and films from the Italian Silent cinema was made possible also thanks to the participation of Giovanni Pastrone to the founding of the National Museum of Cinema whose archives include today various genres from historic films to melodramas, from comedies to documentaries. Sound films are represented by a collection of funds and donation that document both Italian and foreign cinematography: the avant-garde and the American cinema of the Fifties, the works of French directors of the likes of Jean Renoir, Alain Resnais, Claude Chabrol and a significant collection of films from the Dziga Vertov fund.